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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Let's Make a Deal

We think of
ways to make the problem go away or make it better. This attitude is as old as
time itself. Today we'll look at the second of three examples from the Bible of accepting the truth (God’s
way) or dealing with the consequences of doing things your own way.In Genesis 18:20-33
– Abraham tries to make a deal with God to save Sodom and Gomorrah.

20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and
Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see
if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I
will know.” 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained
standing before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you
sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous
people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for
the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to dosuch a thing—to kill the righteous
with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from
you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” 26 The Lord said, “If I
find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place
for their sake.” 27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold
as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the
number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole
city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will
not destroy it.” 29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found
there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” 30 Then he said,
“May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found
there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 Abraham
said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only
twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not
destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just
once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of
ten, I will not destroy it.”33 When the Lord had finished speaking with
Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

The truth was that there were
not any righteous people left in that city. Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family
escaped. Lot’s wife could not let go of her sinful past and obey God was turned
in to a pillar of salt.